Misery Loves Company
by JerseyDog
Summary: Peatrice is unintentionally caught up in the threads of fate as she finds a new sense of rebellion in her. With a million questions running through her head, two amazing knights, one villain, and her over-protective father, she will not get life easy. That is, if she survives.
1. Dreaming

It was a long day at the bazaar, for me at least. I sat, watched a few people come through and buy items from Rupin, a potion from Luv, get something repaired by Gondo, or order something from Piper. Needless to say, I received almost no business, except for from Link. Whenever he would come, he was always so quiet and secluded. He would always make eye contact, but the only word that came out of his mouth was "bye ", and then he would leave.

I couldn't help myself but to daydream of link, his icy blue eyes, his shoulder-length long hair, and the fact that he looked amazing in green. He was only here, maybe a rough two minutes, and he only came every few days. But I enjoyed the time I got with him, mostly the up-close ones. I liked to talk to him, to see him.

But today, well, wasn't exactly usual.

It was past time for the Bazaar to close, and Gondo was just leaving. He usually was the one who put the rug over the door, and we'd walk out together considering we both had things to do in the bazaar at night. As we were fixing to go out the door, Link came running through the blinding outdoor light, slamming straight into me and knocking me onto the ground. As I had let out a small yelp in surprise, he looked down at me, his blue eyes wide.

"I'm sorry! Peatrice, isn't it?" he had quickly apologized as he pulled himself up, offering a hand. I probably looked like an idiot - as I sat there a few seconds, staring at him, before nodding and taking his hand. He pulled me up, and I smiled a bit. He looked around, noticing the colorful rug covering the other side of the Bazaar. He frowned slightly. "Past open hours, huh?" he asked, looking back at me. I glanced behind me, and then shook my head quickly.

"I can still store some items for you! I mean, if that's what you need…"I paused, looking down, and then glancing back up at him. He nodded a little. Without another word, I rushed over to the item check, unlocking the safe that belonged to him. He handed me a small blue metal, and I put it inside the safe. "Is that all you need?" I asked, turning around, my blonde pigtails falling clumsily on my shoulders. "Yes." he said shortly. I locked his safe shut, and then turned back around.

He seemed to be lost in thought now, staring at the ground. I frowned upon seeing this. "Is something the matter?" I questioned, and immediately, he broke from his daze. "Huh?! Uh, no. I'm fine. I'm just a little stressed, that's all." he replied. I nodded a little, feeling concern. Why would he be stressed?

As I opened my mouth to say something, he stopped me by giving me a thanks for giving him service after closing time. I could only nod, unable to form any words before he dashed away. I blinked, thinking nothing of it. He always seemed to be in such a hurry.

I couldn't help but notice as I once again walked toward the door that Gondo was smiling. I walked out of the Bazaar first, and waited for him to place the rug over the entrance. As we continued walking toward my house, I glanced up at him.

" Why are you smiling like that?" I asked quietly. He looked down at me, the dirt on his face catching my eye before he let out a small laugh. " Do you have something against smiling?" he replied. I thought for a moment, and then shook my head. "I guess not. But, you know, you've never smiled like that before. And you look sort of like Rupin. He scares me." I shuddered.

" Do you take me for unobservant? I can clearly tell why you're so stiff right now." . I bit my lip a little. I was stiff now? " And why would that be, Gondo?" I snapped. His upper left lip rose a bit.

"You like him." his voice echoed in my ears, or at least that's what it felt like. Did I like him? I shuffled a bit uncomfortably, even this usual short walk to my house seemed to be taking forever. Gondo never bothered me about this sort of stuff, but since he mentioned it, I don't think he intended to bother me. Maybe point out something I had hidden in my mind, maybe.

" If I said yes, would you promise not to tell my father?" I finally returned. His grin faded, and he nodded. "Of course, you can trust me with anything." he replied, and I smiled. Eventually, he caught on. "No pun intended." .

I nodded a little, and as I turned my head, I realized we were already at my house. Dad wasn't home yet, I could already tell. I waved goodbye to Gondo, watching him walk off past the bridge before actually going in. And when I got in, it was then I began to freak out.

What if I did like him? Why did I tell Gondo? Would he tell? Would my father find out?

It seemed as though a million questions ran through my head at once, but I couldn't help but grin. Maybe, perhaps, Link liked me too? Too? Did I even like him? I sighed, and walked to my room, where I studied myself in the mirror, trying to get whatever pink blush I had on off. It wasn't until I had tried to wash it off that I realized it wasn't blush, I was blushing. Who was I kidding, I did like Link.

As I was about to go to look out the window as my father came inside, causing me to jump slightly. "Hello, baby girl. How'd work go today?" he asked, shutting the door. I sat down, not even noticing my blush. "Fine." I let out a girlish giggle. He raised his eyebrows at me, and only then had I noticed my tone of voice. "Oh, I mean, um, fine. Usual, nothing really happened except for Piper breaking her record on how long it took her to make soup." I snapped immediately.

He stared at me a second, and then sat down. "It seems like that woman could try to make soup for a full week if no one bothered her." he laughed to himself. I nodded submissively, and placed my head in my hands. "Anyone come to slice bamboo today?" I said, trying to show some interest in whatever he had to say. "Actually, yes." he paused. "Link came by today. I was surprised to see him, with how busy he is in all." .

"Link?" I asked, trying not to shout or show excitement, and failed miserably. My dad once again raised his eyebrows at my excited voice. "Hrm, yes. He got about 30 slices in. Pretty impressive, still not enough to beat my record though." he told me. I nodded at him, nothing ever seemed to be enough to beat his record. If he had one.

I began thinking about our encounter earlier today, bumping into each other, apologizing, and then he helped me up. That was the part that got to me. I never really had noticed it before, but he was really nice. He may not have talked to me often, I didn't even get to see him that often, but in the short scenes where we would talk, he never threw an insult or said anything rude.

"Peatrice? You alright?" my dad asked out of the blue, causing me to shake free of my dreaming. "Oh, yes, I'm fine." I quickly assured him. I sat a few silent moments, thinking, as my father seemed to be considering what would do for dinner. "Does salad sound good?" he asked. I shrugged. "I'm not really that hungry." I told him, glancing up at the ceiling. He didn't say anything for a bit, leaving an awkward silence between the two of us.

As the silence continued, I suddenly heard a knock at the door. "I'll get it!" I announced quickly, hoping it was Link. I seriously needed to stop thinking about him. I rushed toward the door, and almost had to skid to a stop. I grasped the handle, slinging the door open, only to feel my heart stop.

Almost literally.

Any of the light that had been on me previously was now gone as I looked up at the tall and muscular red-head before me. He seemed a bit annoyed and slightly arrogant looking as he stared down at me. "You're Peatrice, right?" he questioned, shifting a bit. It was then I recognized him as uh, Grey? Gideon? Goose? Groose! "That's me. What do you need?" I replied quickly, glancing into his eyes. I could almost feel my dad's stare at me as he heard Groose's voice. I mind-rolled my eyes.

"Well, um, two things. One, the headmaster told me I needed to get some fresh air, but not outside of the gates. We all know I don't listen to people, so I decided to go walking. And two, while I was walking, I found this." he held up a silver chain, and one it was a small white diamond, glistening in the light, and it seemed to have more affect as I remembered the piece of jewelry as my own.

"You found it!" I squealed, involuntarily hugging him as he handed me the chain. He sort of grinned. "Yeah, it was by the academy. I figured someone found it and was going to give it to you, but dropped it. Pipit did seem a bit troubled when I walked by him." he told me. I let go of him, and nodded a bit. There was another awkward silence, when I finally decided to break it.

"Well, thanks. It's getting really late, you should probably get back to the academy before a Remlit tries to kill you." I put my weight on one leg, looking up at him. He grunted in agreement, nodding. "Alright, I'll see ya around." he said, before walking off. I closed the door after making sure he made it at least past the steps to the Bazaar nearest my house before closing the door.

"Who was that?" my dad inquired. I sighed. Did he always have to freak out about a guy talking to me?

"That was Groose. He found my necklace by the academy and decided to return it to me like any decent person would do. Is there a problem?" I huffed. My dad gave me a strange look, but shook his head. I sighed and walked back toward my mirror, letting my hair down for the night. "I'm turning in early tonight, okay?" I said. I didn't hear a response, so I figured it as an approval. I fell onto my bed, moving my hair from under my head before falling asleep.

Authors Note:

Let me see if I can predict what you are thinking.

"Seriously?! Another fanfic and you haven't even completed the others? And now this one won't be completed!"

NOPE! I have a lot of stuff pre-written, so I don't have to worry about getting blocked for writing. That doesn't mean you should expect constant updates, because unfortunately, the prison that is misspelled

S-C-H-O-O-L, will be starting again soon. So I'm going to have a whole lot of things on my plate.

I also would appreciate reviews, and I'm going to let you decide which way the story goes, if you feel like it. Would you like to see Groose and Peatrice get together, or Link and Peatrice get together?

( I'm all for Link, but I want your input too. I seriously found Peatrice one of the sweetest characters so I couldn't just ignore her. )

So review and tell me what you think, and who you want Peatrice to be with!


	2. Night By Day

As I opened my eyes this morning, the sun barely crept into my view, but just enough to make me cringe at the sight of it. I hated mornings, which was odd since my father seemed to love them. Forcing myself up wasn't easy, as I was still extremely tired. I didn't get much sleep last night, concerning all I could think about was Link. It was getting pleasantly annoying, if that's even possible. I didn't want to dream of him, I just did. I couldn't help it.

After I had successfully eaten absolutely nothing, mainly because there was nothing to eat, I headed outside. I was greeted with a rather harsh breeze, and the pesky fresh dew on the grass. The sun was harshly shining today, which I guess I should have assumed. It was almost never cloudy, which aggravated me. On the few days where it would rain, we would normally have a small party around the bazaar, or in the bazaar if the rain was pouring hard enough.

The rug was already off the entrance, so I knew Gondo was at least there. Luv and Bertie seemed to take forever, probably because Luv was such a heavy sleeper. Piper would normally take longer than she should, not able to leave her soup at home for one reason or another. Rupin was there on schedule most of the time, as was Sparrot. I showed up early enough to wake up a little more before I had to actually work.

Gondo greeted me as I walked inside, which was usual. I tried to keep any thoughts of Link coming today out of my head, but failed. Now I could only hope no one would catch me daydreaming, or blushing, really I don't know what I did half of the time while I was staring at the wall. There could be an angry Remlit behind me and I probably wouldn't notice. Stupid daydreaming. Stupid job.

I was interrupted by the wails of the infant on Bertie's back, crying and wailing about who knows what. They were actually here on time, I was less than thrilled. That just meant more crying baby, noise, and another headache.

"Oh my goddess, SHUT IT UP!" I snapped, glaring at Luv. She gave me a glare in return, and then I realized I had just yelled. Joy.

"Peatrice..!" Gondo weakly objected. The entire Bazaar, even Sparrot, was staring at me now. " Young lady, is that any way to speak to someone older than you?" Luv questioned, her eyelids lowering. I was definitely not letting her win.

"Is that any way to treat your husband? Lugging your kid off on him when half the time you don't even end up selling anything? And you claim you are too tired and just sleep. He's your kid too, you know. So do the entire bazaar a favor, and keep him quiet." I shot at her, my voice stern. I wasn't happy, at all. She needed to take care of her kid and own up to her own actions for once. Sparrot rose his hand in the air.

" I believe Peatrice is right. Even though she was a bit rude about it," I scowled at that part, " she still has a point.". For a few moments, everything was silent, Rupin nodded his head a bit as though to agree. Piper made no movement, still stirring her soup for absolutely no reason. Gondo Scratched his head a bit, and Luv sighed, turning her head. Within a few moments, everything was back to normal like nothing had happened, mainly because Pipit walked in.

Suprisingly enough, he walked up to me. I glanced at him. " Hi, need something?" I asked him, standing up straight from my once slouched position on the counter. "Yes, I would like to take my seed satchel out of storage, please." he replied. I nodded, turning around to find the safe that was his. As soon as I found it, I opened it, searching around for the seed satchel. He had way too many satchels.

I picked up the one he wanted, closing the safe and handing it to him. "Thank you." he said with a smile, and walked away. He wasn't Link, but he did at least stop to acknowledge me. That much I was thankful for.

After a while, I was staring inhumanely at the wall, wondering why I was forced to stay here all day. There could not be anything more boring than this. Gondo was working on his old robot, Luv and Bertie could talk to each other, Rupin seemed amused organizing things over and over again, Sparrot by now was sleeping, and Piper was being Piper. A sudden sounding of thunder made everyone, including me, jump. It almost never stormed here, so I didn't mind storms much.

A silent moment of confusion was yet again interrupted, but this time with a crack of lightning. I glared up at the top rug as it slowly spread with water, hitting the center of the bazaar.

"Great, just great, now what?" I heard Rupin sigh as he moved the rest of his merchandise to the back room so it wouldn't get wet. I sighed, turning around to make sure the safes were secure. The last thing I needed was an angry mob of people trying to kill me for letting everything get wet. Sparrot glanced around as thunder once again boomed. "I believe seeking shelter would be wise." he stated. "Nah, really?" I mumbled, walking out of my shop, having to pull Gondo away from tinkering with the robot he was desperate to fix.

As soon as everyone had left their stands, I unlocked a small shelter hidden under the mess behind Sparrot's shop. Lifting the door wasn't easy, mainly because it was probably twice my weight. Before anyone got in, everyone from the academy was running through the door, completely soaked in water or close to it. I saw Groose and his friends, Karane and Pipit, all of the teachers, Fledge, but I never saw Link. I looked around once more. Was he still outside?

"Where's Link?" I asked, looking at Groose. He shrugged a bit. "I suppose he's probably still on the surface." he replied. I cocked my head a bit, and then my eyes widened. If the surface was as bad as it was supposed to be, I could only imagine the storms down there. I looked at Groose. " The-the surface?" I stuttered. He nodded once more.

It was at that exact moment that I realized Link was in more danger then I could have ever imagined. The surface? No wonder when I'd see him he would be dirty and covered in bruises! Without a thought, I aimed at the door, only to find myself pulled back by Instructor Horwell. "What are you doing?!" he cried, and attempted to get me to walk back down to the shelter. I jerked hard against his hands, turning my wrists and shaking them free. Before he had the chance to pull me back once more, I ran out the door.

It was a horrid sight, saying the least. A tree was lying over the fence, crushing it, and leaving a mess beneath it. The walkways were already flooded in water, the diving platforms pouring water into the clouds. I quickly rushed through the mess, hoping I wouldn't slip and fall, as that was a one-way ticket to failure. I slid over to the platform, glancing back only to see Groose. I dived off, whistling immediately for my Loftwing, Night.

I shut my eyes, breathing hard as fear struck in the back of my mind. I hope my Loftwing could see in this mess. It seemingly took forever, but eventually, the familiar warmth of his black, soft feathers was all I could feel. He cawed a bit, obviously in confusion because of the storm. I could see Groose's Loftwing shooting from the sky to catch him, and I immediately speeded up, soaring past the ground of Skyloft and into the rain. Once again, Night shifted uncomfortably in the loud and frightening atmosphere.

It was only a few minutes later I noticed that Groose was gaining faster behind Night, and I had to speed him unusually fast, uncomfortable for both of us. We had already dodged a few twisters, but just as I thought I had avoided them all, a gigantic one appeared straight in front of us. Night struggled, losing focus for a moment, and I wasn't able to pull him back. The small error on his part sent us both twirling into the air. I was dizzy at very least, I only saw Night fly away in an odd fashion before I noticed I was falling.

Frantically, I whistled for him to come back, but I very well knew Night's weakness, and that was twisters and storms. I continued falling longer, looking over to see if there was any sign of Night. Nothing. Once again, I let out a cry, desperately this time. Moments later, there was still no Loftwing. I was worried.

I already knew he was safe, because he had been through worse. I was mainly concerned about myself. There was a flash of blue that I knew to be someone's Loftwing, but it was too late. I let out a final cry, trying to manage a way back up above the clouds, but I knew it wasn't possible.

The last thing I remembered was the thought that I would die.

Author's Note:

Okay, so was the wait worth it? I don't know, I'll let you be the judge on that. This chapter was really fun to write, I didn't actually have this planned the entire time. It took a LOT more time than I had hoped to write, so I'm sorry about that. But please read and review, I still need to know: Groose or Link?

There will likely be more chapters until it actually gets to the romance more. So far, Groose is winning.


	3. Lost But Alive

I blinked, and in the short second my eyes were open, I could see a bright, colorful pattern from above me, and I was honestly surprised it wasn't dark. Curiousity got the best of me, and once more, I blinked. This time I actually felt something swipe against my face, not enough to hurt, but enough to irritate me. The pattern from above had changed colors, now it was green. I tried to open my eyes, but another I felt another swipe as I did. At this point, I was confused, slightly scared, and surprised.

For one, I could feel myself breathing, and that meant I was alive even after the fall. Taking a breath hadn't felt any better than now, mentally, at least. In reality, my body ached, and the subtle swipes at my face weren't helping. Second, I was on the surface. No one was really able to say they have been here besides Link, and possibly Zelda. It was prettier than I imagined, even though my memory was becoming short. I couldn't remember exactly what the pattern looked like anymore, though I remembered it was changing color.

Truthfully, there wasn't a reward for opening your eyes every day, but the sight I now had made it worth while. As I opened my eyes, forcing myself not to blink, I realized the swiping was coming from a spider that was dangling above my face. I could also notice the pattern above me changing color again, and I could finally see exactly what it was. The art looked to be of some bird, looking nothing like a Loftwing. Instead, this bird was green, and blue, and had many other colors all around in in some sort of pattern. It's feathers fanned from behind it, giving it a beautiful mosaic-like look. A revelation crossed my mind that the picture wasn't changing colors, that had simply been my eyes adjusting to the light. The place got a little less interesting after that.

The spider above me continued crawling around, being driven by some foreign and non-existing wind. I didn't want to open my mouth, I didn't know if it was a poisonous spider, and I certainly didn't want to swallow it if it was. Instead, I let out a low whistle, enough to get it away from my face at least. The circumstance seemed right for me to sit up and brush it off, but as I tried, I found myself unable to. My body still hurt ; and really whose body wouldn't hurt after falling a nice five miles or so and hitting something solid? Thankfully, I wasn't bleeding, and if I had been there might not have been anyone to save me from it.

In a split second, I began to panic as a wave of realization swept over me. I was in the middle of nowhere, or at least it seemed, and I could be alone here for a long time. This instantly pushed me to attempt pulling myself up once more, accomplishing something when I used my arm to lift myself up slightly, and set my other arm down if I needed to rest. I never knew sitting up could be such a challenge.

Shuffling my legs to where they crossed, I successfully leaned forward enough to sit up. I placed my hands on my legs so I wouldn't fall over, it looked childish, but no one was there to look at me anyway. Given a chance to look around without worry, I did.

Cobwebs and dust filled about everything there was in the room, I had made a dust angel from simply getting up. The floors and the walls were a grey color, but almost looked to be some sort of mixed stone, and they shimmered dully under the layers of webs and dust. The ceiling was the only thing that looked to be clean, as I wasn't able to spot any spider webs, cobwebs, or dust up there. Instead, the bird thing stood still in all it's glory, and its colors reflected in a lower color onto the wall and ground.

Now getting a better look at some of the spiders, I could recognize them due to their light blue color. I had found one in the house once, and there it was my only amusement until dad had come home. Dad had immediately killed it once he arrived, though, and I was left to think the rest of the night. I frowned, sometimes dad could be so irritating. He was too protective of me, sure he was trying to be a good father, but it was something I hate about it. It crossed my mind that once he found out I was gone, though, he'd probably freak out. I could only hope nothing horrible would happen, or no one would get hurt once he heard the words " your daughter fell off Skyloft.". This struck something in me, realizing once I was found, if I was found, it was back to over-protective father and boring job.

Frowning, I let out a sigh. I wanted to enjoy my freedom, even if I was in a lot of pain from the fall. But this wouldn't be possible, I wouldn't be able to force the thought of never returning home, seeing anyone familiar, seeing my dad, or never seeing Night again. It hit me like a stone that this was my new reality, and that I might never see anyone I knew ever again. Not Link, not dad, Night, Groose, anybody. I felt a chill go through me as I thought of this, but did my best to dismiss it.

I was about to try to get up fully this time, being tired of sitting, when I heard a series of clicks. I froze, looking around, but nothing seemed to be moving enough to click. When the noise returned, I could connect it to the sound of shoes tapping. It was then I realized I was not alone, and that frightened me more than ever.

Would it be Link? Maybe he found out I was gone, and went to search for me. I doubted this as I heard an unfamiliar laugh. It was short, and I could tell it was a male's laugh simply from the knowledge that no girl I knew could laugh like that. I looked around, and heard more clicking, and by now I had discovered a small hall that it was sounding from. The figure laughed once more, causing me to recoil and shiver at the sound.

" You know, if you guys are playing a prank on me or something, now would be a REALLY nice time to quit." I stated, my voice echoing in the room. A small giggle sounded in return, and I could now make our a faint figure, the light from behind him masking his body. I could only make out his feet and that he had short hair, hovering above his shoulders.

By now, the laughing was gone, and there was a moment of silence. " You know, you remind me of someone." came his voice, sounding somewhat happy, but a the same time it sounded as though it was a threat. I was silent, I had no reply. This person was scaring me, and he probably knew it.

After what seemed to be forever, really only being a few minutes, he spoke again. "There isn't a reason to be afraid of me. I'm not going to hurt you…" he paused, " yet.". My stomach rolled a bit, I felt as though I was going to get sick, but I did my best to ignore it. "Who are you?" I finally got the courage to ask, looking the figure over once before returning my gaze at what I figured was his head.

"My name is of no importance to you for now. But I suppose a title to call me should be given… hmm, just call me sir, got it?" he replied, and I formed a nod. "I, um… sir, where am I?" I managed, looking at him. He moved slightly, but still not close enough to a source of light for me to see him. He suddenly disappeared from where he was, and before I knew it, he was standing directly behind me. I didn't dare turn, afraid if I did that some sinister source would hurt me or kill me. I normally wasn't this cowardly, but when you don't know where you are and it's nowhere near home, your confidence gets a good smack in the face.

Another click echoed through the room and rebounded off the walls, now I could tell for sure it was his shoes that were making the sound. I could hear him clear his throat. "My dear, you seem to be lost. Are you from where that pathetic boy is from as well?" he questioned. He sounded like he knew something I didn't know. I raised my eyebrows, still not turning around, at this point I didn't know for sure if I could look this man in the face. "Boy?" I choked out. Could he be referring to Link?

"Yes, a blonde boy. About your height, a little taller. Wears green, has a sword and shield, supposedly from the sky?" he told me, and this led me to smile. He did know Link! Maybe I wasn't so lost after all. "Link!" I cried out involuntarily. The man laughed once more, and I could feel him vanish, only to see him where I originally saw him. "So that's his name, is it? Link?" he almost mocked, "Do you know him, dear?".

I nodded quickly, sort of excited at this point. There was another silent moment, this time it seemed to be filled with more thought than emptiness, though. He gave a chuckle. "Fate brings me some strange, strange people." he laughed to himself. I smiled, trying to be polite, but I was still confused.

Clearing my throat once out of being nervous, I looked up. "Sir, do you think you could bring me to see Link?" I asked him, my voice quiet, the echo doing its work. I closed my eyes, and turned my head toward him and opened them once more. He moved to put his head onto his hand, shifting slightly.

"Of course, but not today. It's getting late, you took quite a fall, and you should probably rest." he suggested, his voice not sympathetic, but instead in deep thought. I didn't want to agree to this, I wanted to see Link, I wanted to go home. However, from the sound of things, it was no competition when it came to fighting him, and so I only nodded dismissively. He disappeared, re-appearing behind me again.

He cleared his throat a bit too hastily, and I cringed slightly. "You never told me your name." he stated blandly. I bit my lip, not knowing whether or not to trust him. I decided I had no choice but to tell him, not knowing if he had some sort of lie-detector on him or not, and the thought of what he might do to me if I lied made me shiver. "Peatrice." I answered quickly, "My name's Peatrice.". He appeared in the doorway again, and looked to his side.

"Well, make yourself comfortable in here if at all possible, Peatrice. I have work elsewhere, but I will meet you here tomorrow for sure." he told me, and turned around swiftly. As he began walking, I hear him let out a small chuckle and state that fate had outdone itself. I couldn't help but wonder what that meant.

"Yes sir." I replied, but he had already vanished.

Author's Note:

Sorry I procrastinated on this, I deserve a punch in the face, which I've already received. Please R and R, tell me what you think! Groose is still in the lead!


End file.
